Sunday, 22 July 2012

Famously Crazy

Jeremy Birch at the Olympic Torch relay event

What a week; what a success for Hastings. First the Olympic
torch came to town and 50,000 people turned out to watch. Then the first world
record of UK 2012 was broken not at the Olympic Stadium but on Hastings beach –
the largest number of people dressed as pirates gathered in one place. And
14,231 is some record now to be beaten.

All this showed the very best of Hastings. Ordinary families
came out to enjoy themselves and plenty came from outside the town attracted in
by our events and spending their money in our shops and businesses. It was good
fun and good for our economy.

And it was the community that was responsible for helping to
make these events go so well. The torch day events in Grosvenor Gardens and the
town centre were organised by local people and local businesses and of course
the St Leonards festival held to coincide with the torch has always been a
great community event.

As for pirate day it was local organisers and business
support that put the whole day together with such fantastic results. We say
Hastings if famous for its history and for its culture it’s also famously fun
and famously crazy – and that was there for all to see on pirate day. The
people who stood out as looking different were those not dressed as pirates!

We always do big outdoor events well as the bonfire and Jack
in the Green prove. So Hastings was the natural place for the Olympic torch to
stay overnight and the best place to break quirky world records.

Anyone looking to move to a new town, or for a place to
invest or to become a student will have had a chance to see Hastings at its
best and hopefully to agree that this is the place for them. You can’t put a
value on the good publicity we received over the torch and pirate week.

As for those of use who are resident here already – who
would want to live anywhere else?